A Different Beginning Kanto Reborn
by nadrojw
Summary: What would have happened if the Pokémon World changed before Ash could get his Pokmémon? What if he was a little older and already knew which unconventional Pokémon he wanted as his starter? This is only the beginning of my story, let me know if you think I should carry it on! Also only my second fic so please be nice.
1. Chapter 1

It was getting close to lunch time when Professor Samuel Oak was disturbed from his work by the ringing of a phone – no, not a phone call, a video call was coming through to his computer. He glanced quickly at the caller ID to identify which of his sponsored trainers were calling him this time before pressing to accept the call. On the screen a young man appeared, 17 years old, hazelnut coloured hair and vivid green eyes made for quite a handsome face. Next to him, crouched down so that it stayed out of the way of the others mingling in the Pokémon Centre was a fearsome looking Arcanine.  
"Ah, Daniel hello, how can I help you today?"  
"Hi Professor, I won't take up too much time I just want to send you one of my Pokémon - it failed me for the last time and I have no use of it anymore"  
"Wait… Daniel, you can't just-" before he had even finished speaking the young man had inserted the Pokéball into a round, ball shaped capsule on the other end of the phone and sent it through to the Professor.  
"Really Professor, I have strong Pokémon on my team now I really can't have weak ones like this anymore. Goodbye."  
The connection closed with a sharp dial tone, well the dial tone was no sharper than any other time, but it just _seemed_ so final and ominous in the quiet of the office. With a sad sigh, the Professor reached out a hand to collect the ball that had materialised only moments after the boy had ended the call, opening it with an expert snap of his wrist a red beam of pure energy flashed through the office and a Pokémon started to materialise, floating above the ground with beautiful pearlescent white wings (though with a deep black patterned outline), a vivid purple body and large red eyes "free!" the Pokémon called, looking around for his trainer. "I'm sorry butterfree, you've been sent back to my ranch… it's time for you to go outside and meet the other Pokémon, I'm sure you will be called back into rotation soon". Of course he felt bad for the lie, but he didn't have the heart to tell the poor Pokémon that it would never see it's trainer again, will a happy trill the Pokémon flew through the window to mingle with the others outside.  
"Another one Professor?" The voice of a young boy shocked the Professor, who span around to see who had spoken:  
"Ah… yes my boy… it was considered too weak and will spend the rest of it's life here with us"  
The boy, around 9 years old with raven black hair, shook his head sadly "but that isn't fair! Call him back Professor! Tell him to take Butterfree back!"  
"I can't Ash, I'm sorry but it isn't my choice, I can only make sure he is well cared for here with mem what trainers do with their Pokémon is their own choice." The boy, now revealed to be Ash Ketchum, went over to the window and watched as the new Butterfree was greeted by a gathering of others. His eyes wandered, flicking between groups of Butterfree, Rattata, Oddish and even the occasional Pokémon from other regions. But they all had one thing in common, they were considered weak. Not worthy of being with the trainer anymore once they had found one that was conventionally _strong_. His eyes narrowed in anger:  
"Well it's wrong, one day I will show them that any Pokémon can be strong! They'll see!" his mouthed curled into a small smirk "Professor… how do you feel about helping train me to look after Pokémon?".

9 years had passed since Ash Ketchum's question to the Professor, and more had changed in those years than most people cared to admit. The resurgence of a group of radical terrorists named Team Rocket had meant that the Pokémon League had issued new rules: no one under the age of 18 was to go on a Pokémon journey. The rule seemed simple enough, it was made to ensure that no children ran into situations they couldn't handle – no matter how talented the 10 year old was, they could not fight off experienced terrorists with diligently trained Pokémon.  
The Pokémon League had also taken a more active role in the running of their Gyms, some like the Cerulean Gym had been completely overruled -it was found that the Leaders (who referred to themselves as the 'Sensational Sisters') were giving out badges to unprepared children because they did not feel like fighting. The Leader of that Gym was now Misty, the youngest sister but by far the strongest – since her tenure 8 years ago only 50 trainers had passed her challenge. Others, like the Pewter City Gym had more support in place, as the Gym found that young Brock had been left trying to juggle his family and Gym life, they had provided funding that allowed them to hire and train an additional Leader who shared the responsibility with Brock. But by far the most drastic change was in Viridian City, after close investigation Giovanni had been discovered as the leader of Team Rocket. Champion Red himself had fought viciously with Giovanni for hours until the vile leader had used a powerful psychic Pokémon to escape. He had not been seen since, but now that his attention was focussed solely on his criminal empire the organisation had become far more powerful and efficient than ever before. Two of his members had been particularly noted for their ferocity, many that fled their encounters had spread stories of the powerful Persian that fought by their side.  
But none of this phased Ash Ketchum, he had been trained exclusively in the training and care of Pokémon by Professor Samuel Oak himself, for 9 years he had mastered his skills and strategy and was ready to step up and fight in this dangerous arena… look out world, Ash Ketchum was finally ready.

It was with an all-to-familiar high-pitched shriek that an 18 year old Ash Ketchum was roused from his sleep, slamming his hand down onto the Voltorb alarm next to his bed he groaned loudly. He may very well be used to waking up early to help the Professor, but that didn't mean he _liked_ it. In fact, he would go as far as to say he _hated_ it, he was absolutely not a morning person, and never would be.  
With a reluctant moan he rolled out of bed and shuffled towards the bathroom, stripping down he had a quick shower and brushed his teeth.  
Ok, that felt better. Much better. But he needed food and caffeine within the next 5 minutes, or he would end up hibernating again "hey Mom" he mumbled as he emerged in the kitchen "want me to make you anything?". Delia Ketchum was a charming woman, auburn hair was always held up and out of her face in a high ponytail, the smile that radiated sunshine and warmth (well, Ash always thought so anyway) was always on her face and her light voice carried musically to anyone she spoke to "no thanks honey, I'm off to work but I'll come and see you at the lab before you leave – I want to see which Pokémon you chose!"  
Ash grinned "sure thing Mom, I'll see you later. I'll grab a quick bite before I run over to Professor Oak".

20 minutes later a much more enthusiastic Ash was ready for the day. Walking towards the lab with long slow strides, he pondered the last few years; wilderness survival, cooking, sewing, fire building, fishing, finance, pokémon medication, types, feeding, breeding, battling and even contest rules and regulations were discussed by the Professor in order to fully prepare Ash for life away from home. Without the Professor Ash would admit to being clueless about it all, the school he attended had not prepared him for these things at all, no wonder the League had changed the age restriction. It was because of his good relationship with the professor that Ash was not running to the lab, he had already reserved his Pokémon and had no need to be there early. He smiled slightly as he thought about his Pokémon, the one he had chosen would become a powerful battler and loyal friend. Nothing would stand in their way.

Well… almost nothing, he thought as he saw another young man step out of the lab that he was quickly approaching. In front of him stood a tall, muscular Gary Oak. As much as Ash might loathe the boy, he admitted that being a churlish bully his whole life clearly had it's advantages as Gary stood confidently with bulging arms and a cocky smirk on his face. "ah… Ashy boy, our resident book worm how are you? Don't bother answering, I don't actually care I was just waiting for you to arrive to show you this!" with a quick flick of his wrist the shiny new Pokéball in his hand sprang open, and out of it emerged a small, though clearly well-bred and powerful Squirtle. "With this by my side I can _really_ make you wish you had never been born, Squirtle water gun now!". Following his owners command without hesitation the young Squirtle sent out a jet of powerful water, slamming Ash into the ground and coating him with cold water, and making sludge of the soil underneath him so any attempt to stand was useless. "this is where you belong" Gary spat, slamming his foot down onto Ash's chest eliciting a cry of pain from the young man "beneath my boot cowering in the mud".  
With a sneer of pure loathing, he slammed his foot down once again and strode from view "Squirtle, come!" was his only instruction before vanishing from view.  
As he struggled to stand in the sodden clothes, a hand came to support him "Oh Ash" a comforting voice whispered "why don't you ever fight back?" Ash did not have to look to know who this was,  
"because it's my fault he loathes me, Leaf, besides when I have a Pokémon of my own I can crush him in the battling arena for good".  
"I suppose…" she replied, looking at him with gentle brown eyes, "but you need to go and get one first!" with a small slap to his behind she sent him laughing towards the Professor "I already have mine so I will wait by the gate to town to say a proper goodbye!" And with that she ran in the opposite direction before he could reply.  
"Right" he thought to himself, "a bad start to the day, but from here on out it can only get better. It's time to collect my Pokémon" and with that thought he strode confidently through the doors of the lab, ready for his adventure to begin. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The Professor took one look at Ash's mud-covered clothing before pointing dejectedly towards a door to the side of his office, "Ash I'm sorry I've told hi-"  
"Don't be silly Professor, his actions are his own. I'll run and change before meeting my Pokémon if you don't mind – first impressions matter right?" The Professor only nodded as Ash walked towards his little corner of paradise in Oak Lab's. He had only been 15 when Professor Oak started to notice how Gary was behaving, and the sorry state that Ash would turn up to his office in, and the only solution he could think of was creating a small room for Ash that contained the bare essentials; spare clothes, healing balm etc. to compensate for whatever his grandson had done that time. No matter how hard he tried, his Grandson would always refuse to accept that his actions were unacceptable – and as much as he loathed giving the spoiled boy a Pokémon, he was only a Professor, he had no authority to refuse a trainer their Pokémon.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when Ash strode back into the room, pulling a fresh t-shirt over his head and hiding the lean body that hid beneath – you couldn't work with Pokémon every day, build fences in the coral and help the professor with manual labour jobs and not develop some form of muscle after-all. "Ok Professor I'm ready to receive my Pokémon, I think I've kept it waiting long enough, don't you?"  
"You certainly have young man, it's rude to keep a Pokémon waiting you know! But I do want to check… you're sure you want this as your starter Pokémon? It's not exactly know for it's strength it'll make the start of your journey far more difficult…"  
"I'm sure Professor, I promised all those years ago that I would prove pig-headed trainers wrong and reveal the true power of _all_ Pokémon."  
"Good. Good I'm glad you are still sure, I knew I could rely on you."  
Saying this, he took a gleaming red Pokéball off the table and handed it to Ash – it had taken the work of only a few minutes to call his fellow Professors and have them send over the desired Pokémon, it wasn't rare by any stretch of the imagination. They had been confused about why he wanted _that_ Pokémon, rather than a superior starter Pokémon, but he had remained tight-lipped and insisted it be sent straight away.

Ash grabbed the ball, grinning like a small child being given candy for the first time. He wasted no time in pressing the release feature and summoning his new friend from the confines of the ball. Materialising before him was a small, bulb-like Pokémon. Yellow in colour, with three vivid brown stripes running vertically down it's body and a small green sprout protruding from the top of its head. This Pokémon, a Sunkern, had been Ash's first choice of a Pokémon ever since he read a Pokémon biology book at 14 years old that started with "Sunkern is known to be very weak". No. No Pokémon was inherently weak and he would prove it, not only to everyone else, but to his Sunkern too.

Bending down, enabling the small 1'00" tall Pokémon to have a better view of him, he smiled and introduced himself "hello Sunkern, my name is Ash Ketchum and it is my dream to defeat the Pokémon League challenge and prove that any team can be strong. Will you join me?" A few moments passed before the Sunkern let out a small cry "sun!" and bobbed the small sprout on its head as though nodding enthusiastically. It leaped (somehow) onto Ash's head and sat proudly waiting to begin its adventure.

Laughing loudly, Ash reached up to stroke his new partner gently "you managed to get me one Professor, thank you!"  
"It really was no problem Ash, unfortunately the sunkern line isn't exactly… highly desired in their home regions so there was an abundance of free ones for me to choose from" at this declaration sunkern seemed to droop a little on Ash's head, looking dejected "oh sunkern I didn't mean any offence! I know you will do Ash proud with your power".  
"Yeah, ignore what anyone else says, you're my starter and I couldn't be more proud already." Hearing this the little seed Pokémon grew tall and proud once again, stretching it's leaves up to make itself as tall as possible and show off it's form.

"You already gave me my Pokedex and spare balls Professor, so I hope you don't mind me rushing off – Leaf and Mom are waiting for me by the entrance to town and I don't want to keep them waiting!"  
"Hang on a minute Ash, I got a special gift for you, it's inside the box but I don't want you to even open it until you are midway through your gym challenge." A sly smirk appeared on his face, "promise me Ash. No peeking"  
Ash smiled back, knowing the Professor was serious, "I promise Professor, I can't thank you enough for everything but I really have to go. Say bye sunkern!" With a small cry, sunkern bid its farewell before turning on Ash's head and using a delicate leaf to point impatiently towards the door. "Alright , let's go"

 **x-x-x**

A quick 5 minute jog later and Ash and sunkern found themselves near the gates to town, quickly approaching the two women waiting for him. "Hey guys!" he called, making them turn slightly from their conversation to acknowledge his arrival "sorry to keep you waiting".  
"Oh shush Ash, as much as I love you, you aren't the important one here let me see the little angel on your head" replied his mother, a cheeky smile showing that it was only a joke. She reached a slender hand up gently to stroke along sunkerns small leaves. "An excellent specimen; healthy leaves, good yellow colour and a lovely shine. Hello sunkern, I'm Ash's mother"  
Sunkern, who was too busy enjoying the gentle massage to reply properly, just smiled back and jumped into her hands for more pampering.  
"Yes, it really is an adorable pokemon, a wonderful match to my own starter." Ash glanced down to Leaf's side and noticed a cheerful looking Bulbasaur lounging in the warm sun.  
"Well" said Ash, "how could I not choose another grass type? Makes our first battle all the more interesting with no type advantages" a spark flashed in his eyes as he noticed her brace herself for battle  
"Oh yes, I have been waiting for _years_ to finally beat you in a real battle and now's my chance! Bulbasaur, step up we're ready for battle" a playful expression crossed her face, already enjoying the friendly rivalry they shared.  
"Sunkern, get down buddy we need to show this pipsqueak who's boss!" Sunkern instantly perked up from his gentle massage and leaped to the ground. Ash whipped his Pokedex out and scanned sunkern:

 _ **Sunkern, the seed Pokémon, it tries to move as little as possible. It does so to conserve all the nutrients in its body for evolution. It does not eat a thing, surviving only on morning dew. This sunkern is female and has the ability chlorophyll. It's known moves are: absorb, growth, ingrown and grass whistle. It also knows Leech Seed as a result of it's parent Pokémon.**_

'Hmm' Ash thought quickly, 'not an ideal movepool for taking on a Bulbasaur but there are a few things I can try, pure power is not the only way to win a fight' – "Sunkern, quickly use growth, follow it with ingrain and wait for Bulbasaur to attack!"  
Responding immediately, sunkern took a few seconds to concentrate, tightening it's focus and using it' bodies nutrients to reinforce key areas of the body for battle. Long green hoots sprouted from its base, absorbing more nutrients and locking it in place for stability.  
"Bulbasaur quick, use tackle before it can strengthen itself!" Moving surprisingly quickly for a Pokémon with short legs, Bulbasaur raced across the battlefield, head lowered ready to slam into it's opponent  
"Get ready sunkern, use growth one more time to prepare yourself and fire a leech seed directly at bulbasaurs legs" immediately withdrawing more nutrients from the ingrain, sunkern used the stability of its roots to give itself a strong base before firing several powerful seeds at the approaching Pokémon - the first few missing spectacularly, the small vines they developed wilting away when they hit nothing, but one seed managed to grasp onto bulbasaurs leg when it was only feet away from striking sunkern and tripped it in the process. The vines wrapped like spider webs around bulbasaurs legs and held it in place, all the while sucking it's energy from its body. The fallen bublbasaur skidded to a stop inches from sunkerns body, growling angrily at it's predicament.  
"Bulbasaur, no! Use your vines to lift yourself off the ground, don't stay still for too long!" hearing it's trainers call the Bulbasaur slashed two powerful vines from inside it's bulb and started to lift itself into position, readying itself for battle.  
"Oh no you don't, sunkern use grass whistle now, keep using it until the Bulbasaur succumbs to sleep!". Within moments a hauntingly beautiful melody drifted from sunkern, soothing everyone around it, to the point where Bulbasaur started to droop slightly as it was lulled to sleep. It's vines started to waver, shaking from the enormous pressure of holding its body upright and trying to fight off the urge to sleep. Suddenly, and without command it struck a vine forward slapping sunkern sharply and shocking it out of its melody. "A nice try bulbasuar, but not good enough" sunkern had already begun healing itself of injury, the ingrained roots fed it healing nutrients and the leech seed sending its owner strength from the victim, "grass whistle again. Finish this." Leaf herself knew she stood no chance, Bulbasaur was already beginning to waver, and so before sunkern could sing once more she recalled her pokemon to its ball.  
"What an invigorating battle! You did your best, rest well Bulbasaur. And Ash, thank you for that, don't be naïve enough to think it will be that easy next time!"  
He laughed heartily, "I wouldn't dream of slacking, I know you will both come back with a vengeance. Come back sweet, you need a rest too" although she had taken no damage sunkern relished the thought of a rest and confidently leaped back onto Ash's head and settled down for a rest.  
"You bet we will! Anyway, we really need to run if we are going to heal up and start our journey. How about we meet up again in Pewter City and have another battle? You have my number so call me when you're free." Without even waiting for a response, Leaf had vanished into the distance heading towards Professor Oak to heal her Pokémon.  
"Well baby, seems like you are ready for your journey – you really will be amazing if you handle every battle like that. It makes me proud to see you, you really are your father's son. I want you to take this, I got it specially this morning" from behind her, next to the fence, she lifted a rucksack and placed it in his hands. "It's that fancy new technology, just like a Pokeball it shrinks items so they fit in more easily for your journey, don't ask me how it works, it sounds ridiculous to me too!". Ash smiled at his Mom's ignorance of technology, he loved her dearly and would miss her rambling.  
"Thanks Mom, I love you loads. Thank you for everything you've done for me so far, I'll call you as soon as we reach the next Pokemon Centre, I promise."  
"Make sure you do young man!" To hide the tears forming in her eyes she leaped towards her son and pulled him into a tight hug "I'll miss you, but don't worry about me. Enjoy your journey and I will be there to watch you crush the league".  
With a slightly sad smile, Ash pulled away from his Mother and thanked her once again before turning towards route 1. The start of his journey.  
"Let's go sweet, we have a world to take on!", with one long stride, he passed through the gate and began the next chapter of his life, his partner rousing from her sleep long enough to cheer excitedly before resting again.


	3. Chapter 3

**x-x-x**

Route 1 was one of the shortest, and easiest, routes in the Kanto Region for trainers to traverse. The League regularly sent experienced trainers to check the area for any Pokémon that were too powerful like a fearsome Fearow that had made it's home here years ago, or any trainers that were taking advantage of the inexperienced trainers passing through the route at the beginning of their adventure.

It was for this reason that Ash realised it was a perfect opportunity for him to train with Sunkern in relative safety, there were few Pokémon around that would truly be a threat to them, and any damage done could easily be repaired by a quick trip back to Pallet Town for some rest. It took only 20 minutes for him to find a suitable clearing just off the main track, but close enough for any passers by to hear him if there was an emergency.

"Sunkern, prepare yourself. It's time to show me what you can really do" Ash's voice was quiet but authoritative, letting Sunkern know that their formal training had begun. With barely a sound she leaped from his head and settled herself directly ahead of him ready for his orders. "We have seen most of your attacks in action already thanks to Leaf, and I can't see the capability of absorb without a battle. For now, let's see just how agile you are. Ready yourself at the edge of the clearing and dodge any and all stones thrown at you." With a cry of "sun!" Sunkern bounced to the other end of the clearing as quickly as she could, and turned to face Ash with determination in her eyes.

Glancing quickly around the clearing Ash collected 10 small stones he could use to test the agility of his new partner. Without warning he launched one directly at Sunkern, taking her by surprise and making the stone glance against her side as she hastily rolled out of the way. By the time she adjusted to her position he had launched 2 more, watching as one headed straight towards her, and one veered slightly to the side to minimise her escape route. Although a fiercely determined Pokémon, Sunkern revealed her lack of experience when, in a panic, she chose the wrong direction and was struck directly in her face causing her to cry out in shock. "Be careful Sunkern, watch my body when I throw the stone to guess where the attack will be aimed. Watch." As he said this, he launched another stone, he could see her eyes carefully assess the movement, and saw the exact moment she recognised the slight twist of his body as he flicked the stone so it would slightly angle itself to the left of her body. With a confident smile Sunkern dodged to the right, turning to face him again when she had a suitable distance between herself and the projectile. "Good. Again. Try to roll or bounce whilst maintaining eye contact, that way you can see if I am preparing any new attacks".

The game of "Dodge" continued for 30 minutes longer, with Ash throwing his projectiles in progressively harder to dodge patterns, sometimes he threw a small handful at the same time making Sunkern test her new agility skills to launch herself high above the stones, or roll her small seed-like body in different directions at high speeds to dodge the assault. Although she had developed greatly, there was still a vast amount of work to do as a few small bruises confirmed he had scored a few hits.

"Good Sunkern, now we need to work on the speed and accuracy of your Leech Seed. Our battle against Bulbasaur would have ended very differently if one of our seeds hadn't been lucky and tripped him. Use ingrain now to root yourself and start healing. Whilst you're ingrained I'm going to throw the stones again and you must hit them with leech seed before they reach you. You ready?"  
"Sun! Sunkern!" she cried, clearly excited at the thought of a new training game and a small chance to regain some of her energy. He had thought this game through carefully, the ingrain would mean that Sunkern would be unable to move with any speed, having to cancel the move in order to regain mobility. This would force her to rely on her leech seed to defend against his projectiles. "Go!" he cried, launching his first attack intentionally a little too high to giver her time to react. Sunkern took a few seconds to focus herself before launching a seed in an attempt to counter his attack, unfortunately for Sunkern the seed was off by at least a foot and the stone managed to strike her head on. "Sun!?" her despondent cry was enough to make Ash pause before throwing his next stone, "it's ok Sunkern, this is our first time playing this game and you've only ever used the attack once before. No one is perfect first time, right? The first time I tried to throw a Pokéball I was so nervous I managed to hit Professor Oak in the face! And he was stood at least 5 feet away from the target!" Sunkern seemed to perk up at this news, and even took a minute to laugh at her trainer, "yeah yeah, laugh it up. We will see who is laughing at the end of this round!".

It turns out, Ash was laughing at the end of that round. The look of pure surprise Sunkern would show every time her Leech Seed missed the target would bring a smile to his face for years to come. Although they had only been playing for a short time, she had improved dramatically. Managing to hit 3 of the stones he threw, and those that she missed were by fractions of an inch rather than the foot she had missed by at the start. "That's enough for now sweet, come over here so I can check any bruises." With a happy cry Sunkern bounced over to her trainer and turned her body around slowly so he could inspect any injuries, "nothing too serious, a few minor bruises but they will be fixed by tonight. Let's carry on our journey before it get's too late."

 **x-x-x**

Travelling with Sunkern was proving to be therapeutic for Ash, he had talked about his life so far and watched with a barely concealed smile as she grew tall with righteous fury when he mentioned how Gary had treated him growing up. He chatted for what seemed like hours about his hopes and dreams, laughing when a loud "Sunkern!" has interrupted him talking about becoming the strongest trainer in the world, her determination to see him through to that goal filled him with a joy he had never felt before.

The few trainers they encountered had mostly proven to be easy for the duo, Sunkerns new confidence in dodging attacks was shown when she had confidently assessed her targets actions and moved out of the way long before the attack had reached her. Her absorb attack was clearly the one she favoured in her life before Ash as its potency was enough to take down most Pokémon with one use. The only trouble they faced was a trainer using a Pidgey. It's natural advantage against her grass typing, and manoeuvrability in the air had made the majority of her attacks useless in the battle. However, with some quick thinking Sunkern had ingrained herself to act as tempting bait for attack and had launched her most spectacular Leech Seed to date as it swooped in a direct line towards her – wrapping it's vines around Pidgey's wings to bring it crashing down and using Grass Whistle to take it out of the battle. However, it was the battle they were currently trapped in that was causing Ash most joy, it had been their longest battle so far and both Pokémon were growing tired:

"Sunkern, use growth again to build up some energy and then use grass whistle, we need to finish this!"

"Oh no you don't, rattata use quick attack before it can put you to sleep" with a cry of affirmation, both Pokémon immediately moved to follow their trainers orders, Sunkern had just managed to finish strengthening her body when a purple streak slammed into her and sent her flying back a few feet. "Sunkern! Are you ok?" seeing her nod, he called out the next command "great, it's too fast right now, use the ingrain seed combo again!"

"I don't know what that is rattata, but it doesn't sound good. Use quick attack again head on and finish this!"

Sunkern had just finished ingraining and beginning the healing process when rattata naively made it's move, running in a straight line towards Sunkern it made the perfect target for her leech seed to strike, wrapping him up in tight vines it sapped the energy from its body leaving it struggling to move. "Finish this Sunkern, grass whistle" a sweet melody drifted through the air lulling rattata into an induced sleep that ended its chances of battle. A flash of bright red indicated the opponent trainer had recalled the rattata "what an amazing battle!, thank you!"  
"Same to you!" Ash replied before feeling the comforting weight of Sunkern land on his head. Turning his attention towards her he reached up and gently stroked the sprouting leaves "you did amazingly, I am so proud of you". A happy chirp was all he got in return before she turned to the setting sun and started soaking in the last of the rays. "It's time we set up camp for the night, let's go".

 **x-x-x**

Within 30 minutes of his declaration, Ash had managed to find the perfect clearing for rest and recuperation. Half shaded by trees the clearing would ensure no rain fell on any belongings he brought with him as he slept, but the clear sky on the other half would wake him early when the sun's rays pierced his tent. A warm fire crackled in front of him as he started making a meal for himself, Sunkern already feeling nourished from the water he had provided earlier, and the nutrients she had absorbed throughout the day. "you know something Sunkern? I can't remember a day where I have ever felt so calm. In Pallet Town you are constantly being watched: Teachers, Mom, Professor Oak, Gary, they all had eyes on me waiting to see what I would do right or wrong. Waiting for something to criticise or praise. When it's just you and me I feel truly relaxed, I know I can be completely myself with you and you would never leave, never judge or make me feel uncomfortable." Sunkern looked at him with her large eyes, something swimming in their depths let him know that she completely understood what he had said.

"Most people used to laugh at me for wanting to be a Pokémon Master, they said it was an impossible dream for idiot children. Then one day my dream changed, I wanted to prove to the whole world that all Pokémon were strong. Each and every one of them has strength hidden inside and it is the weakness of the trainer that means they cannot show their power. That just made them laugh harder, they thought that they knew better than me and only my Mom and Professor Oak believed in me. Now that you are beside me I know we can prove them all wrong, you have already you are stronger than a conventional starter and beaten Pokémon with a type advantage. I know we can do it!". He hadn't realised the fierce passion he had spoken with, he hadn't notice how loud he had gotten until he looked around himself and saw the eyes of wild Pokémon watching him with intrigue, watching who had interrupted their quiet corner of wilderness.

A slight tap on his belt and the loud ding of a successful Pokémon capture suddenly rang through the quiet clearing. With shock on his face, he looked down to see one of his previously empty Pokéballs flashing and indicating that a Pokémon now occupied it. Shock rapidly made way for excitement as he snatched the ball and launched it through the air, a blinding flash of white light subsided to reveal his new partner as…


End file.
